Mustafa Fehmi was awarded Brimbank’s Coach of the Year last week for his work in increasing the profile of women’s soccer. 79876 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By NATALIE GALLENTI
MUSTAFA Fehmi lives and breathes soccer so for most people it was no surprise that he was announced Brimbank’s Coach of the Year last week.
But it did come as quite a shock for Fehmi, who was up against some stiff competition.
“I was shocked when my name was called out. I was up against one of the best coaches around in Ian Dobson.”
Fehmi, 38, received the award at Brimbank’s Awards for Good Sports last Wednesday night for his work in raising the profile of women’s soccer.
The father of two is in his fourth season as senior coach of the Cairnlea Football Club’s women’s team and since his tenure as coach commenced there has been a huge increase in the number of female participants at the club from 13 to now 100.
A former player at the club, Fehmi said it was an important part of his life and while he could no longer play he still wanted to give something back to the community. Both of his children are entrenched in the sport, with his daughter giving up dancing to take on the round ball code.
The Taylors Hill resident encouraged youngsters to take up the sport, saying it kept them off the streets and promoted a healthy lifestyle.
“There’s not only the sporting side but also the social side. It’s important for kids to be involved in some kind of sport.”
He said because of their recent success, the female team has a real sense of self-belief and confidence and that was what sport was all about.
Brimbank Council’s general manager of community wellbeing Kelly Grigsby said Fehmi’s achievements include winning the league for the past three seasons, which now sees the team promoted to the Premier League for 2012.
Ms Grigsby said Fehmi has increased the profile of women’s soccer at the club which has resulted in parents, players and supporters flocking to the women’s games, even more than the senior men’s games.
“Mustafa is an exceptional role model as he leads by example, communicates effectively with a wide range of individuals and is dedicated to promoting women’s involvement in soccer.
“Mustafa is also willing to share his knowledge with anybody who is interested in listening,” she said.
